Another Padres BlogNews, opinion, and analysis on the San Diego Padres (and the rest of baseball)

Trade links

But first, a quick comment on my last post on the Hairston deal. I probably should not have assumed that Hairston’s a 600 PA a year guy, due to his injury track record and general lack of PAs. That would temper the projections a bit, but not terribly. He’s still an average/slightly above average player, and he should have a good amount of surplus value over the next few years. Now, onto some links:

Gaslampball: jbox – It certainly isn’t a consensus, but most of the GLB readers are pretty upset about the trade. I understand that, since Hairston has been one of the few bright spots on this club. I think the Padres made the trade now because Hairston’s value is higher than it has ever been, and probably higher than it’ll ever be.

FanGraphs: Cameron – Dave Cameron is really sour on this trade from San Diego’s perspective. I don’t think the Padres have a good offense or defense (pitching and fielding), so I think that basically a complete overhaul is needed. Losing Hairston hurts both the hitting and fielding, but the three pitchers added in this deal can definitely help a weak pitching staff. Petco generally doesn’t turn poor pitchers into good ones, it just makes them look better.

BtBS: Jack Moore – Another analyst likes the deal from the A’s perspective, and doesn’t think the Padres got enough back for Scotty.

Again, I think both sides can win a trade – it isn’t a zero-sum game. The Padres can win because they shed salary, open up playing time for younger players to evaluate their future with the team, and add some young, (sorta) high upside arms. The A’s can win because they add a solid outfielder to their organization for the next 2.5 years (or until they trade him), at a reasonable cost.